Abstract
Plant cell develops a large vacuole as the cell enlarges, and cytoplasm is localized around the cell cortex as a thin layer. Recent progress in visualization of the tonoplast has revealed complex vacuolar structures and suggested that cytoskeletons participate in the regulation of the tonoplast structures. However the relationship between the vacuolar structure and cell growth and differentiation is still unclear. In this study, we successfully visualized the tonoplast by fluorescent dyes and AtVam3p-GFP fusion gene in Physcomitrella patens, and revealed that complex structures of the tonoplast were conspicuous at growing tips, around developing septum, and in dense regions of chloroplasts. The cytoskeletal inhibitors affected the tonoplast structures and protoplasm distribution. We currently analyze changes of the tonoplast structures and distribution, when protonemata regenerate from protoplasts, and will discuss how the localization of cytoplasm and vacuole is regulated during cell differentiation and cell growth.
